Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on what date his Department intends to publish the criteria and timescale for the second round of applications to the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Education)
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round 2 in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local residents are consulted on planning decisions in their community.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Local planning authorities are required to undertake a formal period of public consultation of no fewer than 21 days on a planning application prior to its determination. Effective consultation allows local planning authorities to identify and consider all relevant planning issues associated with a proposed development. Consultees, particularly those living near to the site in question, may offer particular views or detailed information relevant to the consideration of an application. Where relevant considerations are raised by local residents, these must be taken into account by the local authority as the decision taker in the first instance.
The planning reforms set out in the Planning for the Future White paper will make it simpler, quicker and more accessible for local people to engage with the planning system. The best way to bring forward new, significant development is by improving community engagement and input at an earlier stage in the planning process. At the plan making stage, people will have the opportunity to comment on local plans and deciding where proposed development should go.
By making the plan-making system focus on the big issues that really matter (what to build where, what must not be built on at all) and making all the processes and assessments easy to understand and engage with, we are giving local people a hugely improved and much greater opportunity to shape the future of their communities. Couple that with digitalisation and we really are bringing people into planning rather than leaving them outside, bewildered by the opaque rules and technical language of the current system.
For planning applications that fall outside the remit of the local plan, or vary from it, there will be a continuing role for the existing planning application process and the public engagement that comes with it, which will be enhanced by new digital tools. Full planning applications will still be required in the usual way in these cases.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support the creation of well-paid, local jobs in town centres.
Answered by Luke Hall
As we build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic, this Government will deliver growth that levels up opportunity, is aligned to our net zero objectives, and cements our status as Global Britain.
Through the £3.6 billion Towns Fund, we are supporting 101 places develop Town Deal proposals to drive the economic regeneration of towns to deliver long-term economic and productivity growth through land use, economic assets including cultural assets, skills and enterprise infrastructure, and connectivity. We have now committed over £2 billion under the Towns Fund, offering Town Deals to 86 places across England. This includes the accelerated funding provided to places last year. Announcements for the remaining Town Deals will be made in due course.
Furthermore, the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. The Fund will operate UK-wide, extending the benefits of funding for priority local infrastructure across all regions and nations.